FR2919176A1 - Scalp massage device for infant, has two curved flexible fingers connected to support, where ends of fingers carry enlarged and round heads to be engaged with scalp, and each head is fixed to fingers - Google Patents

Abstract

The device (1) has two curved flexible fingers (3) connected to a support, where ends of the fingers carry enlarged and round heads (4) to be engaged with a scalp. Each head is fixed to the fingers, relatively. A container (6) contains a product e.g. shampoo, to be applied on the hair or scalp and has a distribution opening that is closed by a cover. The support is connected on a body of the container by locking and molding. The fingers are made of a flexible thermoplastic material e.g. Hytrel(RTM: thermoplastic polyester elastomers). An independent claim is also included for a method for massaging the scalp.

Description

The present invention relates to massage devices of the scalp.

  There are brushes for combing the hair, with higher or lower hardness, which are likely to stimulate the scalp during combing. No. 6,450,980 discloses a scalp massage device comprising a plurality of curvilinear fingers arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the device and connected to a handle. US 3,768,463 discloses a scalp massage device having a single rectilinear finger. There are combs for young children with alternating straight teeth with a small ball end and shorter straight teeth, which lack them. There is a need for a scalp massage device that provides satisfactory stimulation of the scalp, for example by reproducing the skull massage with the fingers at the hairdresser, while being of reduced size, so as to it can easily be incorporated, if necessary, into a device for packaging a product to be applied to the hair or the scalp. According to one of its aspects, the subject of the invention is a device for massaging the scalp, comprising: a support, at least two flexible curved fingers, connecting to the support and in one piece with it , the ends of these fingers carrying enlarged and rounded heads intended to come into engagement with the scalp, each head being fixed relative to the finger that carries it. Advantageously, the heads are non-aligned, preferably being located on a line that is generally concave towards the scalp during application. The device may have as reliefs engaging with the scalp only the heads above. The above arrangement of the fingers allows the heads to come into contact with the scalp more easily and may encourage deformation of the fingers of the device in a manner similar to the movement of the fingers of the hand during a massage action with the hand. hand. The heads of the device may in particular be, when viewed from above, located along a first curvilinear line and when viewed from the front also be located on a curvilinear line. The invention makes it possible to benefit from a massage device of relatively simple construction, capable of massaging the scalp in multiple directions by means of the deformation of the flexible fingers, which can stimulate the blood circulation, among others, and strengthen the action of a product. Each head can be monolithic with the finger that carries it, the heads not touching at rest. The spacing of the fingers at their connection to the support may be constant during use. The support may comprise a plate on which the fingers are connected. At least one head can be made of the same material as the finger that carries it. At least one head can still be made of a different material, especially harder, than that of the finger that carries it, for example to facilitate its sliding on the scalp. The fingers may be arranged in a row (s) and / or in a non-symmetrical location around a central axis. The fingers can be connected to the support by being aligned in one or two rows, for example. Preferably, each finger is curved around at least one axis with, for example, at least one finger, more preferably several fingers, or even all of the curved fingers along at least two different axes, in particular non-parallel axes, for example two perpendicular axes. between them. These double curvatures of the fingers may allow them to deform in preferential directions when applied to the scalp, in order to reproduce in a certain way a scalp massage effect as it could be obtained with the fingers. of the hand for example. The fingers may be of constant or variable section. The heads may each be in the form of a ball, the heads being for example reported, in particular clipped, on the fingers and made of a material different from the fingers or molded in one piece with the fingers, for example in the same material.

  The spacing between the free ends of two adjacent fingers may be greater than or equal to 0.2 mm, for example between 0.2 and 100 mm, better still 0.5 and 100 mm, better still 5 and 70 mm, at rest. . The fingers can be grouped in pairs at their base, which can facilitate the departure of the fingers of the same pair in divergent directions. At least two fingers may diverge or converge away from the support when the device is viewed from the front. The outermost fingers of the device may be curved outward when the device is viewed from the front.

  The device may include an even number of fingers. At least one finger may have ripples. The massage device is advantageously secured to a packaging device, so as to allow the use of the packaging device as a handle during use.

  The device may comprise a container containing a composition to be applied to the hair or the scalp, for example a shampoo, a conditioner, a fortifying or anti-hair loss composition. The support may be attached to such a container or the support may be molded in one piece with at least a portion of the container. When the support is attached to the container, the support is for example removably attached to it. The support is for example arranged to cover a dispensing member of a composition contained in the container. The support may comprise a gripping portion, especially when it is not secured to a container.

  The device may comprise a protective cover arranged so as to cover the fingers, in the absence of use thereof. The fingers can cross or not when the device is viewed from the side. When the fingers intersect, the bases thereof can be arranged in two rows, for example. The free ends of the fingers can be at two different levels. The length of the fingers may be less than or equal to 10 cm, better than or equal to 7 cm, and be greater than or equal to 2 cm. The lengths of the fingers may be unequal, which may contribute to the positioning of the free ends on a concave line to the scalp. The fingers may be made of a flexible thermoplastic material, elastically deformable, for example thermoplastic elastomers, nitriles, EPDM, Hytrel, polyolefins, among others.

  The fingers may be made of an elastically deformable material flexible enough to allow them to flex up to 90 without damage during use. The fingers may be made of an elastically deformable material flexible enough to allow them to move without damage a distance of at least 2 cm from the rest position, during use. The finger support can be arranged to allow attachment to a vibrating source. The support may for example comprise a central housing, on a front face, for example a housing whose axis is located in a median plane for the fingers. The fingers may comprise a charge of a magnetizable material, for example ferrite, or an electrically conductive material. The invention further relates, in another of its aspects, a scalp massage method of moving in contact with the scalp a device as defined above. The invention will be better understood on reading the following detailed description of examples of non-limiting implementation thereof, on examining the appended drawing, in which: FIG. an example of a scalp massage device made in accordance with the invention, FIG. 2 is a top view along II of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a side view along III of FIG. FIGS. 4 to 8 illustrate the use of the device of FIG. 1; FIGS. 9 to 16 show, in elevation, alternative embodiments of the massage device, and FIGS. 17 to 26 show other variants of FIG. Finger arrangement, Fig. 25 being a side view along XXV of Fig. 4.

  The massage device 1 of the scalp, shown in Figure 1, comprises a support 2 carrying flexible fingers 3 provided at their free end each with an enlarged head 4 intended to engage with the scalp. The device 1 also comprises a container 6 containing a product to be applied to the hair and / or the scalp, provided with a dispensing member 7, for example a capsule comprising a dispensing orifice that can be closed by a cover 8 hinged to the capsule. The container 6 may have a narrowed section, about mid-height, to allow the user to grasp it more easily. The support 2 can be attached to the body of the container 6, for example by snapping. Alternatively, the support 2 is made in one piece by molding with the body of the container. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the massage device 1 comprises a row of four flexible fingers 3, but the invention is not limited to a particular number of fingers, this being able to be for example between two and a dozen, better three and a dozen. The heads 4 each have in the example considered a ball shape, for example with a diameter greater than 4 mm, or even 5 mm. The length of each flexible finger 3 is for example between 2 cm and 10 cm, for example being about 3 to 5 cm in the example in question. The fingers 3 may be of unequal lengths. The fingers can be curved without inflection, as is the case in the example of Figure 3. The heads 4 can be located on a first curve A when the device 1 is viewed from the front, as in Figure 1, this Curve A being concave upward due to either the unequal length of the fingers 3 or their different curvature or both. When the device 1 is observed from above, the heads 4 may be located on a second curve B, as shown in FIG. 2. The curve B is concave towards a side 6a of the container 6. The bases of the fingers 3 may be substantially aligned or not. The radii of curvature of the curves A and B correspond for example substantially to the curvature of the skull. The fingers 3 can be connected to a plate 2a defined by the top of the support 2, this plate 2a being for example generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X. The bases of the fingers 3 can be close to an edge of the plate 2a and the fingers 3 can be curved towards the other edge. The fingers 3 may each be curved around at least one own axis X so as to be directed towards the same side 6a of the container 6, as illustrated in FIG.

  In a view from above, the fingers may possibly fit within the perimeter of the plate 2a, as can be seen in FIG. 2. The fingers 3 may also be curved each around at least one own axis Y perpendicular to the X axis corresponding, so as to deviate outwardly for the extreme fingers 3 of the row, as shown in Figure 1, and towards each other for the fingers inside the row. In the example of Figure 1, the fingers 3 are grouped in pairs and deviate from each other within each pair. Each finger 3 may have, on a portion of at least its length, a non-circular cross section.

  The transverse section of at least one finger 3 can be progressive, in particular decreasing, being for example elongate along a major axis at the connection to the support 2 and of dimension, measured along the major axis, decreasing as it approaches the rounded head 4. The major axis of the section is for example substantially parallel to the corresponding Y axis, at the connection of the finger 3 to the support 2. The cross section of a finger 3 may be substantially constant, for example with an axial symmetry. The fingers 3 are made in one piece by molding material with the support 2 and the heads 4 can be made during the molding of the fingers 3. The fingers 3 and the support 2 can be made of the same material or materials different, by bi-injection. The heads 4 may be made of the same material as the fingers 3 or alternatively in a different material, by bi-injection. The fingers 3 and the heads 4 are for example made of a thermoplastic material selected from polyolefins, thermoplastic elastomers, nitriles, silicones, Hytrel, among others. To use the massage device 1, the user can first massage the skull with the heads 4 and then apply the product contained in the container 6, or alternatively apply the product and then proceed to massage, or proceed to Massage, apply the product and massage again, as shown in Figures 4 and 6.

  When engaging with the scalp, the heads 4 can slide on it without hurting him. During this engagement, depending on the pressure exerted by the user, the heads 4 can move in several directions as shown in Figure 5, including moving in one direction when the application pressure is increased and move in the direction elastically opposed when the pressure is decreased. The heads 4 can move apart from one another for the most extreme fingers and / or the fingers of each pair. Figures 7 and 8 illustrate examples of deformation of the fingers. In use, some heads 4 may clash, if necessary. Some fingers 3 may tend to straighten in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the container when pressed against the skull, with the side 6a of the container 6 facing toward it. In the variant illustrated in Figure 9, the support 2 has an extension 20 which acts as a gripping member, the massage device does not include in this example container.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 10, the support 2 is fixed in a detachable manner on the receptacle 6 and constitutes a protective cover for a dispensing member of the receptacle. The container is for example an aerosol bottle comprising a push button 21 and the support 2 is for example arranged to snap on the container 6 to protect the push button 21 in the absence of use. The container 6 could still be equipped with a pump or a dispensing nozzle. The fingers 3 may not have aligned bases, as seen in this figure. The fingers 3 can cross when the device is viewed from the front.

  In the variant illustrated in Figure 11, a protective cover 25 can be fixed removably on the support 2 to protect the fingers 3 in the absence of use of the massage device. The massage device represented in FIG. 12 comprises fingers 3 which intersect when the device is viewed from the side, these fingers 3 possibly having different lengths and / or different shapes, so that the corresponding heads 4 are located at different heights, which can improve engagement with the scalp.

  The fingers 3 are for example arranged so that the corresponding heads 4 are arranged in two rows at different levels. It can be seen in FIG. 12 that the fingers can be flexed, the inflection zones being for example substantially aligned when the device is viewed from the side.

  The fingers 3 can be connected in two rows on the support, near opposite edges thereof. The fingers of the two rows can converge towards a median plane and then move away from this median plane after having crossed it, as illustrated. FIG. 13 illustrates the possibility for the support 2 to present fingers 3 which intersect when the device is viewed from the front, the fingers 3 being for example grouped in pairs, in which the fingers intersect. The different finger crosses can help to gain compactness and flexibility. In Figure 14, the container 6 has a dispensing member 7 which is located in the upper part of the container while the support 2 and the fingers 3 are located on the side. In the variant illustrated in FIG. 15, the container 6 is equipped, on the side opposite the fingers 3, with a dispensing cannula 60, which can be closed optionally by a closure cap 61. In the variant represented in FIG. the massage device is arranged to receive a vibrating source 100. The latter comprises a vibration generator, for example a motor rotating a flyweight, and an electrical source such as one or more batteries or accumulators. The support 2 comprises for example a central housing 102 on a front face 103 to receive the vibrating source 100. The latter may comprise a contactor 110, for example with fugitive contact, which triggers the operation of the source 100 when it is engaged in the housing 102, the source stopping when it is removed from it. In the variant illustrated in FIG. 17, each finger 3 comprises two branches 26 which meet at a non-zero distance from the support 2, for example near the head 4.

  FIG. 18 illustrates the possibility for the fingers to present a wavy shape, which can increase their flexibility and their ability to deform during engagement with the scalp. In the variant illustrated in Figure 19, at least two fingers 3 meet at a non-zero distance from the support, the common portion to these fingers being flexible enough to deform elastically when engaging with the scalp. FIG. 20 illustrates the possibility for the device to comprise two fingers 3 converging away from the support 2.

  In the variant illustrated in Figure 21, the device comprises two rows of fingers 3 which are connected to the support 2 near opposite edges thereof. The heads 4 are at different heights. The fingers 3 of one of the rows may leave the support 2 in the direction of the opposite edge and then change orientation and orient towards the same side of the support as the fingers of the other row. FIG. 22 illustrates the possibility for the fingers 3 to have different sections, with some fingers being finer than others. In Figure 23, there is shown heads 4 of different sizes. The heads 4 may be other than spherical, for example disc-shaped, as illustrated in FIGS. 24 and 25. However, a spherical shape may be preferable since it facilitates sliding in any direction of the head 4. FIG. illustrates the possibility of bringing the head 4 on the corresponding finger 3, for example by snapping. Whether they are overmolded or reported, the heads 4 may be made of a different material of the fingers 3, in particular a material facilitating sliding, for example a material harder than that of the fingers 3. The heads 4 are for example made of polyolefin, acetal, POM, polyamide, among other materials. Of course, the invention is not limited to the described embodiments. In particular, it is possible to combine various embodiments of the above examples within non-illustrated variants. The expression having one must be understood as being synonymous with having at least one.

Claims (33)

  1. Device (1) for scalp massage, comprising: - a support (2), - at least two curved flexible fingers (3), connecting to the support (2) and in one piece therewith, the ends of these fingers carrying enlarged and rounded heads (4) intended to come into engagement with the scalp, each head (4) being fixed relative to the finger (3) which carries it.   2. Device according to claim 1, each head (4) being monolithic with the finger (3) which carries it.   3. Device according to one of claims 1 and 2, the heads (4) not touching at rest.   4. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the spacing of the fingers (3) at their connection to the support being constant during use.   5. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the support (2) having a plate (2a) on which are connected the fingers (3).   6. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, at least one head (4) being made of the same material as the finger (3) which carries it.   7. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, at least one head being made of a material harder than that of the finger that carries it.   8. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the fingers connecting to the support being aligned in one or two rows.   9. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the heads (4) being non-aligned.   10. Device according to claim 9, the heads (4) being located, when the device is observed from above, on a line (B) concave towards the side (6a) of the device intended to be engaged with the scalp.   11. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, the heads (4) being located, when the device is viewed from the front, on a line (A) concave upwards.   12. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, each finger (3) being curved around at least one axis.   13. Device according to claim 12, at least one finger (3) being curved along at least two different axes (X, Y).   14. Device according to claim 13, the two axes (X, Y) being non-parallel, in particular perpendicular.   15. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, the heads (4) being ball-shaped.   16. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, the spacing at rest between the heads (4) of two adjacent fingers being greater than or equal to 0.2 mm.   17. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, the fingers being made of an elastically deformable material flexible enough to allow them to bend up to 90 without damage, during use.   18. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 17, the fingers being made of an elastically deformable material sufficiently flexible to allow them to move without damage by a distance of at least 2 cm from the rest position , during use.   19. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, the fingers being grouped in pairs at their base.   20. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, at least two fingers diverging away from the support when the device is viewed from the front.   21. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 18, at least two fingers converging away from the support when the device is viewed from the front.   22. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, the outermost fingers having ends curved outwardly when the device is viewed from the front.   23. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, at least one finger having corrugations.   24. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, 30 comprising a container (6) containing a composition to be applied to the hair or the scalp.   25. Device according to the preceding claim, the support (2) being attached to the container (6).   26. Device according to claim 24, the support (2) being molded in one piece with at least a portion of the container (6).   27. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 26, the support comprising a gripping portion.   28. Device according to one of claims 24 or 25, the support being arranged to cover a dispensing member (21) of a composition contained in the container.   29. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a protective cover (25) arranged to cover the fingers (3).   30. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, at least two fingers crossing when the device is viewed from the front or side.   31. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 30, the length of the fingers being between 3 and 10 cm, better 3 and 7 cm.   32. Device according to claim 1, the heads (4) being attached to the fingers and made of a material different from the fingers.   33. A method of massaging the scalp, comprising moving in contact with the scalp a device as defined in any one of the preceding claims.